If the weather's really heated up, move on up the points a bit more and either use spinnerbaits or start trying to use some plastic worms. Red and grape-colored worms generally perform most effectively.

As February ends and March begins, some bass also begin to move to the weedbeds on the flats. This would be the time to break out some topwater baits such as a Zara Spook or Tiny Torpedo in chartreuse shades. You won't catch as many fish, but the method ups the odds of your bringing in one that's 5 pounds or better.

One thing to remember at Juliette is that the water is generally very clear, so you must be careful not to spook the fish, even at depths of 10 to 15 feet. Hold your boat well away from the spot at which you want to fish and make longer casts, and you should be all right.

HIGH FALLS LAKE
Another, smaller impoundment north of Forsyth at the three-way juncture of Monroe, Lamar and Butts counties, this 650-acre impoundment lies at the point at which Buck Creek and Brushy Creek feed into Towaliga River. Just off I-75, it's one and eight-tenths miles east on High Falls Road.

The lake is part of High Falls State Park, but only about 10 percent of the shoreline -- mostly on the southern end of the lake -- is part of the park. The rest is privately owned and is dotted heavily with homes and cabins. Many were originally of the fish-shack variety, but recent years a have seen a housing boom resulting in some of those being replaced by new, much larger buildings.

A horsepower limit is in force at High Falls Lake, so you don't have to be worried about being run over by speeding boaters.

Reputed to be a topnotch crappie lake, High Falls can also boast a very creditable if sometimes overlooked bass fishery. According to WRD biologist Scott Robinson, the lake has a healthy population of largemouths that, thanks to the plenteous complement of forage species in the lake, are overall larger than the state average.

Those who do fish for bass there agree that the upper end of the lake is usually the most productive are. The action back up in the creek arms or in the river itself surpasses that in the open lake.

Before the water warms up, fish the vicinity of dropoffs, boat docks and submerged stumps with deep crankbaits or plastic worms. If the water's clear, red or shad-colored worms work best; if it's muddy, shift to green or chartreuse.

Because the bass feed greedily on the threadfin and gizzard shad abounding in High Falls, live bait's an entirely reasonable option. Find the largest minnows you can if you want to tempt a nice-sized bass.

As the water warms, you can fish the same areas, but go a bit shallower with medium crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Chartreuse is usually a go-to color, but white will also work from time to time.